Resurrection Part VII - Reunion
by Annejackdanny
Summary: Jack/Daniel, kidfic, AU, h/c, adventure See Resurrection Part I for full summary, thank you
1. Chapter 1

**Part VII**

**Reunion**

**They** had fallen back together like clockwork; all the pieces still fit perfectly. But whereas the clock had been rusty and slow before, it would soon be shiny and run smoothly again.

**I**

Sam wiped a hand across her brow to keep the sweat from trickling into her eyes. Her back and arms ached from sitting hunched over the mortar, hammering and crunching the quartz with a pestle. She had taken breaks in between, but the material was almost as hard as granite. She needed a lot of muscle power to break it. She paused again, straightening up and carefully moving her sore shoulders. She had been on it for two days now and the fruits of her labor sat in a bowl beside her.

_If only the pestle doesn't break,_ she thought – not for the first time – and stared into her mortar. She was abusing the pestle for a hammer, but it was all she had.

The quartz had been the breakthrough on her quest to modify Jelica's drug.

Or rather what was enclosed in the stones.

She had sensed it on her first morning in the canyon. Recharged from a surprisingly good sleep she had explored her campsite. Maybe it had taken her a while to recognize the signs, the 'sense' of naquadah, because of the memory stamp. But she had picked up on it eventually and once she had recognized what it was that was making her feel a bit edgy, she had also realized there was a LOT of it here. And from there it hadn't taken her long to discover it in the soil.

Like a mad woman with a witching stick Sam had hiked the canyon, following the 'feel' of naquadah until she had reached a ditch where the concentration seemed the highest.

And there she had found Jellica's miracle plant.

It grew as dense as a carpet in that area. It was so plain and nondescript, just some sort of gray-ish green ivy. But even if Sam hadn't been a rocket scientist she would have known the ivy carried naquadah, pulling it from the ground consisting of rich, dark soil interspersed with quartz-like rocks. The naquadah was highly concentrated in those stones.

The large, dark veins were visible even on the stones' surface.

Sam had taken chunks of the quartz to her shelter. Once she had extracted the first pieces of naquadah she had made a discovery almost too good to be true. She had been so excited, and almost busting with it. It had felt strangely disappointing that there was no one she could share the news with.

Jelica had given her son three cups of his medicine every day and Sam had the measurements of ingredients memorized. She hoped she could reduce the dose to two cups per day if she used the pure naquadah, not the much weaker plants.

She picked up her pestle to continue when her ears picked up a sound she hadn't heard around here before.

Was that...

No, it couldn't be.

But there it was again.

Laughter. A child?

And something else. A soft thud-thud-thud on the forest floor.

Someone was coming. On a horse? Bringing a child?

She put down her pestle and stretched her back as she got up. She rounded Jelica's hut – which was hers for the time being – and skimmed the dense treeline above the canyon rim.

Now she heard voices, getting closer. She couldn't make out the words, but it was clearly the excited chatter of a child.

She pulled back until she was hidden by the wall but could still peer around the corner. A moment later she saw them breaking through the trees. A big, black horse – resembling a Frisian for all Sam could tell. Mounted on it were a man and a little boy in front of him. They continued along the rim, probably looking for a way down.

Sam wished she had binoculars. The light was always a little diffuse around here. She couldn't see any reason for a random traveler to come this way. There was no real trail leading into this part of the woods and the natives where known to give the area around the monastery a wide berth.

And yet, the horse was carefully guided down the slope not far from her position, animal and rider focusing on finding a way between rocks and plants.

It couldn't be...

But as the newcomer moved closer there could be no doubt. A cap was pulled down over the guy's face, shading his eyes, but she didn't need to see them to know that the colonel had finally found her. She recognized that tall, lean figure and his voice as he muttered encouragingly to the horse.

She stepped out into the open when the horse had reached safe ground again. Silently she looked on, relieved but a bit awkward about seeing her CO again after all this time. After not even remembering who he was, not knowing he existed, for so many months. She had to remind herself that he hadn't remembered her either so they were on even ground.

Still, for a moment she didn't know what to feel, what to say, how to react. Her mind was drawing a total blank. Then she ran through stupid lines like; It's great to see you, sir. Or; How have you been, sir? All those phrases...

She focused on the small boy peering out from behind the massive neck of the horse. He was wearing a cap, too. It was orange but smudged with dirt.

"Jack," the little one whispered loudly, "Sam's hair is longer than I remember."

The colonel bent down to the boy's head and replied in the same stage whisper. "Yeah, but she still looks like Carter, right? Has to be her."

The boy giggled and slapped a hand over his mouth. Then he hid behind the horse's neck.

She resisted the urge to finger her hair. She knew it was shaggy and in need of a washing. Who was this kid? Was there something she didn't remember? Something Jadah hadn't told her? But they hadn't been on this planet long enough for any of them to even have children. And as far as she recalled they had never taken their kids through the gate with them. Hell, as far as she remembered none of them _had_ kids.

So, who...? And how could he know what her hair had been like before?

She was so focused on solving that riddle, she almost startled when the horse stopped only a few feet away from her.

"Carter, you look great. Love what you did with your hair," the colonel greeted her with a smirk.

She snorted. "It's the latest grunge look. Paid a fortune for getting it exactly like this."

He pulled the cap off his head and scrubbed a hand through his short graying strands. Then he lifted the boy under his armpits and, without thinking, she stepped forward to take him.

The kid immediately wrapped his arms around her neck, hugging her hard. "Sam! Hi, Sam!"

"Hey there," she said, a little overwhelmed. "How are you?"

"My butt hurts," he told her with a shrug. "Jack says it's sore from being in the saddle for hours and hours and hours."

The colonel grimaced as he dismounted. "You probably don't want to know the state of my ass. But I can assure you – it's worse."

"Ouch."

Then there was that moment when they faced each other and she realized she _was_ glad to see him. She opened her mouth to say so, but he was faster. "It's good to see you, Carter."

"Likewise, sir."

She waved back over her shoulder. "Me casa su casa. It's not a palace, but it's not too bad, actually. "

The boy wriggled and she let him down. "Can I take off my boots, Jack? Can I? Please?"

"Carter? Any poisonous plants around here? Reptiles? Toe-biting things?"

"Uh, no, sir. Not that I know off."

The boy took that as permission. He sat down quickly, untied his boots, pulled them off along with his socks, and left them where they were as he sprinted off to the small stream.

"Whoa! Danny! Stop! Right there!" the colonel hollered. "Stay away from that water. And do you think your shoes can walk to the house on their own?"

"But my feet are hot and achy!"

"Danny, shoes."

He slunk back, grabbed his boots and toddled off towards the house, grumbling something under his breath.

The colonel tugged at the horse's reins. "Been a long, long journey."

"Danny." Sam echoed. "Sir, is that... but how... did Daniel descend as a kid? The last time I saw him he was still, you know..."

"Glowy?"

"Something like that."

They walked towards the house. Danny had left his boots at the front door and run back to the stream. He got rid of his pants and shirt in no time, clambered over the rocks by the shore and hopped into the water, squeeing and cheering as he splashed around.

"It's a long story I'm happy to share as soon as I take care of the horse and... oh, for crying out loud... Danny! How deep is that creek, Carter?"

"Not deep, but it has sharp rockss on the bottom. He might cut his feet."

The horse's reins were handed to her and as she took off the heavy saddle, leaving it by the boots, she heard Colonel O'Neill telling Danny off for jumping into the water.

"But I'm all hot and dusty and my feet hurt and my butt hurts and..."

"And I feel for you, but you don't just jump into unknown water, period."

"I know the water. I looked at it. I saw it wasn't deep."

"Not good enough."

"Ja-a-a-ack! Lemme down, lemme down!"

The colonel came into view as he rounded the horse, a wriggling, huffing boy hoisted under one arm. "Did I mention it was a long journey?"

"Yes, sir. There's a can of tea inside and some leftover soup from lunch."

"Tea and soup. What do you say, Danny-boy?"

"I'm already hot. Why would I want tea and soup?" Danny pointed out, wriggling some more.

Sam bit back a chuckle. She had no trouble to believe this was a mini-version of Daniel. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about it, yet.

The colonel sighed. "Carter, is there a spot at that creek where this young gentleman can cool his feet and any other sore body parts?"

"If you walk upstream a bit there's a nice sandy spot where he can take a bath," she confirmed. "The horse can drink there, too."

"Thank you." He took the horse from her again. "We'll be right back. You don't happen to have coffee, do you?"

She gave him a wistful sigh. "Ohhh, I wish."

"Yeah." Colonel O'Neill hoisted Danny up a bit. "Let me take this fish to water."

She watched them move down the bank. The colonel releasaed Danny and freed the horse of its bridle to let it drink, leaving the reins around its neck. She heard him tell Danny not to wander up- or downstream, or "...you're going to wear a bridle, too."

That threat was answered with laughter and Sam thought how strange and wonderful it was to hear that sound. As she went into her small house to heat up the soup she was humming.

ooo

"I experimented with the naqudah I found in those rocks and it's actually different from the element we know. The best part is; it has a melting point resembling gallium. Gallium turns liquid at 89 F, which is basically room temperature. And it stays that way unless it cools off. That means if it is added to the drug in liquid form we only have to keep it warm enough. Wearing it close to our bodies would do the trick. Plus, it will work perfectly in Teal'c's bloodstream because body temperature is at 98,6 F."

"Isn't that stuff poisonous, like mercury?" The colonel eyed the small glass tube filled with a black substance.

"Well, I don't have any means of measuring that, here, but since Jelica fed this to her son for years and it helped him live, my assumption would be, no. Granted she only gave him the plants, not the pure naquadah, but I'm almost sure this is not poisonous."

She got the eyebrow. "Almost sure?"

Sam shrugged. "Pretty certain, actually."

"Okay." He handed her back the tube. "Once the symbiote is out, Teal'c will be history either way. So this is still our best shot, huh?"

"Yes, sir. Jelica's drug worked. It was just weak. If the higher dose of naquadah combined with the healing abilities of the plants does the trick, Teal'c might feel almost normal again. If I'm missing something else..." She shook her head. "At least it will still keep him alive. It kept Jellica's son alive with this recipe so it should work for Teal'c, too."

"When will it be ready?"

"Tonight. I'm not sure if the ivy blossoms are really a significant part of the drug, but I'm still going to add them. The ivy is only in bloom during full moon and tonight the moon will be at its fullest."

"Not good for moving around in the dark," Jack muttered.

"I thought we were going to knock at the front door?" She shoved the liquid naquadah back into the pocket of her jacket.

"Yeah." The colonel rubbed a hand over his eyes. He looked tired. "I know I'm not the most positive voice of the group... but that seems too easy to work out."

"Maybe it will work because it is so easy," Sam suggested.

"Maybe. Maybe not." He stirred the soup in the pot over the small fire. It smelled good. Herbs, wild potatoes and meat from the small bird she had found in her trap yesterday. She had been grateful and surprised to find a lot of Jelica's belongings still intact. The pot, bowls to eat from, even a couple of spoons, and several other items.

She watched Danny chase a frog. Until a moment ago the boy had kept them posted about where the frog was going and what it was doing. Now he had reached the stones by the bank. He paused, considering his options, then threw a quick look over his shoulder to see what the colonel was doing. Then he turned his attention back to the frog.

She suppressed a chuckle at the kid's dilemma of wanting to go after the frog and not being allowed to clamber over the stones into the water. Bouncing on his toes, Danny looked over at them again. "Ja-ack? Are you busy?"

Colonel O'Neill sniffed the soup and stirred some more. "Yes, Danny, I'm busy. Leave that poor frog and c'mere. Lunch is ready."

"Ohhh!" He bounded over and settled down between them, eagerly accepting the bowl. "That smells good, Sam!"

"Thank you, Danny. I think the unthinkable happened. I finally learned how to cook," she said with a grin.

"Remember, it's hot," Colonel O'Neill reminded the boy.

Danny held the bowl to his face and blew over it. "It smells reeeaaallll good."

Jadah had taught her the fine arts of cooking in her wonderful comfortable kitchen. Out here Sam could only improvise with what little she had, but it was enough to fill their bellies.

"You're right, Carter. This is great," the colonel said, smacking his lips.

"The lack of take-out and restaurants is hightly motivating," she replied.

"When we're home again I want to go to Starbucks and have all their specials," Danny announced. "And eat a ton of cheesecake."

Sam exchanged a look with her CO. From what he had told her over the last hour as they had swapped reports on their time on Ba'th she knew where Danny had come from. And that the colonel didn't know if Danny was a permanent or if Daniel needed that part of him back at some point.

"It's a date," she said nevertheless. "Starbucks. Gosh, I can't believe I have lived without coffee for so long."

The colonel stared at her. "No coffee? All this time?"

"Jadah doesn't believe in coffee. Tea is her remedy for everything."

"There are lots of coffee shops in Ba'th. The town Ba'th. Where we come from," Danny said. "But Starbucks is still bet-ter."

They finished their lunch and cleaned the dishes. The colonel and Danny argued a little over the necessity of afternoon naps. When the boy had fallen asleep curled up in the soft grass and covered by a black and brown rabbit skin, Sam went back inside to work on Teal'c's drug.

She felt restless and even more edgy than she could put down to the naquadah. It was like a constant buzz in her head and slight goosebumps on her arms. Like an awakening.

She had spent months living the life of a healer, sheltered from harm and angst in Jadah's cozy world. And even when she had left and spent her days in the wilderness, out here, she had only done domestic things. Hunted, collected herbs, cooked, worked on that drug.

Tonight she would finish what was supposed to help Teal'c survive. Then she and the colonel – with Danny as their diversionary tactic – would move out to the monastery and...

And there she felt the anxious excitement crawl up her spine.

S&R.

She hadn't been in any kind of combat situation for months. She had no idea if she could just shrug off Sam the healer and become Major Carter again. She went through the motions of adding crushed herbs, flower juices and strips of tree bark to the simmering cauldron over the stove.

_I have turned into the wicked witch_, she thought and felt the insane urge to laugh wildly.

But, she realized as she added a small amount of the belladonna schnapps she had brought with her, to the liquid, she wasn't afraid. At least not afraid for her life or scared of getting hurt. If she was afraid of anything it was failure. What if she wasn't up to the job anymore? Starting with this drug here – what if she had gotten it wrong? What if Teal'c died because she had missed something?

At the same time she felt like a young horse before its first race. She could literally feel the adrenalin pouring into every nerve ending of her body.

She and the colonel had gone over all the intel they had gotten from Daniel, had worked out a schedule and discussed the lack of weapons and ways to defend themselves. Going by what Daniel had told them, freeing Teal'c shouldn't be too hard. But, as the colonel had pointed out, you never knew what might be hiding in the shadows. Or how well trained those monks really were.

The slight awkwardness between them had faded away in the common ground of strategies and working out a way to get the job done.

Like it was supposed to be.

She wondered if, after tonight, she would be someone else again. If she would feel more like the person she used to be. Could she be a soldier, go back into the field and still not forget what she had learned at Jadah's? Could she have her own herb garden and maybe a small greenhouse and spend her free time there? Or would she go back to putting all her energy into work and quantum physics again, holed up in her lab at the mountain? And slowly forget Jadah's legacy? Or lose interest in it?

"Carter?"

She turned to where he was standing in the doorway. Something was wrong. She could see it in the way his jaw was tightly set.

"We need to move out."

"What happened?"

"Daniel just stopped by. He says they are getting Teal'c ready for the extraction ceremony tonight. We can't wait any longer. I'll get the horse."

She nodded and moved the cauldron from the fire. It would slowly cool down and – hopefully – by the time they returned she could add the naquadah and the ivy blossoms. She would rather have a flask of the drug to take with her, just in case... but that couldn't be helped.

She followed the colonel outside. Danny was sitting in the grass, knuckling his eyes and yawning. She looked at the little boy and suddenly felt such a cold spear of fear lancing her heart that she had trouble breathing for a moment. What if this was a terrible mistake? What if those monks hurt this precious little part of Daniel? He was so small. So vulnerable.

She glanced at the colonel and saw her thoughts mirrored in his brown eyes.

Danny got up, dragging the rabbit skin with him as he toddled over to join them. Sam thought of that kid from the Peanuts with his security blanket, and felt like smiling despite her worries.

The colonel crouched in front of him and took one of his hands. "Do you remember your lines, buddy?"

"Yep."

"And when you get into trouble..."

"I call for Daniel and he'll come. And if he can't I'll try to get away and wait at the secret exit. Or I'll yell for you as loud as I can and you'll come for me ASAP."

"Good man. Ready to move out?"

They were. And they did.

It took them thirty minutes to reach the part of the woods where the monastery was. The colonel tied the horse to a sturdy tree and they made the rest of the way by foot.

Two and a half of SG-1 on their way to get their lost team mate. It was like old times even though one of them was riding on top of the colonel's shoulders, wrapped in a rabbit skin.

**II**

Jack silently vowed not to wish for things he couldn't have. Like binoculars. Or his P90. His tac vest. A radio. A real combat knife. A zat.

What he had were Carter's hand-to-hand combat skills and a mini-Daniel with vague mental powers. And, if the sketchy rescue plan really worked out, an ascended Daniel to jump in if things went awfully wrong.

Peachy.

Maybe they could get their hands on pain sticks. That would be cool.

The monastery was a glum, dark place with thick old walls. Jack made out two spires, but no battlements.

_It's a monastery,_ he reminded himself, _not a castle or a fortress. _

They kept hidden behind a line of gnarly, crippled trees, watching the wooden double doors for a while. No guards. No one came, no one went. The windows were nothing more than black holes in the walls, high and small, no glass. The place appeared to be locked down tight, but – if Daniel was right - that was only smoke and mirrors.

"It's a very bad place," Danny murmured beside him.

"Keep up the positive thoughts, Danny," Carter said. "You need them for the monks." But she didn't sound like she had happy thoughts either.

Jack absently rubbed Danny's back, addressing Carter, "Signal me when you've made it around to the water."

"Three for all is clear, two for trouble, one if I need backup," she confirmed.

"Go."

"Wait, Sam." Danny placed his palm on her cheek. "Good luck."

A smile blossomed on her face and Jack wondered what she saw, what she felt.

"Thank you, honey." She dropped a quick kiss on Danny's tow head and moved away without a sound.

He followed her with his eyes as she vanished between the trees until he couldn't see her anymore. Then he returned his focus to the building again.

A river ran behind it; swollen and dangerous in spring, but relatively tame around this time of year. Daniel had clued them in about the mill wheel and the small side entrance beside it. The monastery drew its power from the river. Every week one of the monks stopped the wheel, opened the door beside it and came out to clean the wheel of branches, stones and anything that got caught in it.

Carter had done her own research and perimeter walking when she had arrived at Jelica's canyon. She had examined that door by the wheel and said the lock was old and rusty. It was their way out if leaving through the front door wasn't going to be an option.

They waited for her signal in silence. Jack worked on emptying his mind of all his worries and focusing on the next step. But having Danny here was a distracting factor, because the kid wasn't always predictable and worrying about him was something Jack couldn't switch off easily.

Danny touched his face, sending him an image of the night sky over the Ba'th ruins. Jack saw the sheet of lightning as it raced from the sky, saw particles of silver erupting from it like fireworks, then plummeting down like snowflakes. As they met the ground, they began to morph into a tiny vortex, faster and faster, until only one blinding puddle of silver and white illuminated the whole arena.

_That's what the twins and Mikele saw when you fell from the sky_, Jack thought in wonder. Or maybe it was what Daniel had seen when he had been split.

The light faded and on the ground lay a perfect new little human, curled into a ball, lily-white skin glistening in the moonlight.

Danny pulled his hand away. "Don't worry about me, Jack. I can go back to the sky if something happens to me. I can be with Daniel and Oma again."

Jack ruffled the blond hair gently. "I still want you to be careful, okay?"

"'kay."

There was the mirror reflection. Once, twice, three times.

Jack wrapped Danny in the rabbit skin and cradled him in his arms. "Give me your best performance."

Danny's head lolled back, his eyes closed halfway and he moaned softly.

"Perfect," Jack murmured.

He strode across the clearing like a desperate man would – fast, pressing the boy to his chest, eyes darting this way and that. He saw no one appear in any of the windows. No one ripped the front door open to aim a weapon at him.

They stopped by the oak door and Jack hammered against it with one fist. "Hey, there! I need help! Anyone? My boy needs help! Please open up! Jadah, the healer, sent us here for help!"

Nothing.

He waited a moment, then tried again. Yelling and knocking. Knocking and yelling.

Finally there was the sound of a heavy bar being removed, then the doors swung open, revealing a hooded figure holding up a candle. The room or hall behind it was pitch black.

Oy.

"What is your wish?" an old, brittle voice rasped out from somewhere under that hood.

"My boy here, I believe he's a sinner child!"

The hooded head came closer and bent over Danny, who let out a pitiful moan.

"This child is too young to be a sinner," the monk said.

"But Jadah, the healer, said to bring him here and have him examined because he's," Jack cleared his throat, "weird. He has these, you know... attacks."

"No sinner child has been brought here in many generations and we are preparing for a ceremony tonight," the monk said, then coughed. Jack could hear the dry rattling sound more in the man's chest than as an actual cough.

"Please. Don't turn us away," he forced the monk to step backwards as he pushed inside. "Jadah said you'd help."

"I cannot. I must insist that you leave," the old man yelled. Or tried to anyway. His voice didn't reach the actual volume of a yell. It stayed raspy and brittle. More coughs shook the body under those robes.

"You're sick," Danny piped up from his nest of rabbit fur as Jack started closing the heavy doors. He had to put Danny down and use both hands to swing them shut. How this fragile little monk had been able to open them was beyond him.

"Of course I am sick. This is a drafty, moldy place," the monk said sourly. "You try living in a place like this for over a hundred years without getting sick."

"Are you that old?" Danny asked in wonder.

"Lived a long life. Too long if you asked me."

"Do you live here all alone? With just the sinners?" Danny asked. "Will I have to live here with you until my snake can be taken out? Is it boring here? Do you have coffee?"

The monk let out a hacking sound Jack recognized to be laughter. "You are certainly not a sinner, boy, don't worry about that."

"How many sinners are here?" Danny asked when Jack picked him up again.

"Just one." The monk coughed again. "And your dada, if that's what he is, should never have come here. I should never have opened those doors. Whatever you think your boy suffers from, he is not a sinner."

"How can you be so sure? You haven't even looked at him. Shouldn't you examine him or something?" Jack asked.

"You come from Jadah, the healer outside the woods?" The old man asked.

"Yeah, she sent us."

"Jadah. Well, well... I have not heard her name in a very long time. I used to know her great grandmother, Jelica. Before I was turned into a monk. I have not seen any of her family in a long time. We rarely leave this place. We grow our own food and herbs. But Jadah is known far and wide for her skills." Cough cough cough. "However, she's also known to be part of the resistance group. She and her family have tried to break the sinner spell for ages." Again the hacking laughter. "Of course there is no spell. No spell. Never has been a spell."

Jack's eyes had adjusted to the darkness by now. They were in an entry hall. In two corners, stairways went up to a gallery. On the ground level a corridor led into darkness and he couldn't make out anything beyond that. The candle in the monk's hand wavered as he was shaken by coughing again.

This was a dying man.

"Once we were many," he told them. "But at one point authorities decided they didn't need us anymore because no more Jaffa were arriving through the portal and there hadn't been any recordings of descendants from our local Jaffa in years. We were left to fend for ourselves and no new monks were sent here to be trained in the tending of Jaffa and their symbiotes.

"We were five monks still in the service, but most of them are dead now. Dead. They, and all the brothers from before, lived their lives in dedication to a lie. That stupid sinner legend... all a lie. Not many people know it is, though. If you come from Jadah you must at least know part of the truth."

"You are part of the resistance group," Jack guessed.

The old man snorted and spat on the ground. "Resistance group. If there ever was such a group – and not just a couple of fools - it is long gone. The poor soul we have to free of the symbiote tonight has been the first Jaffa to arrive in generations. I don't know where he came from, but he will be the last Jaffa I have to prepare for his journey."

"But you opened your door for us," Danny said softly. "You let us in when you heard Jadah sent us. You must still believe in the resistance."

"Ack! It's pointless."

"Yet, you let us in," Jack said gently. He strained his ears for the sounds of a battle or any other sign that Carter had been made and needed help, but it was eerily quiet around them. And eerily depressing. Like the outside world didn't exist. As though any sound, any color, any light had been purged by the dusty, dark and deadly atmosphere of the monastery. Yes. Jack could smell death. It was in the fusty air, the ancient bleak walls. This place had seen a lot of killing.

"Come with me," the monk muttered and shuffled ahead of them.

"Where are we going?" Jack asked sharply, but followed anyway. What choice did he have?

"I need wine," was the curt answer.

They walked down what seemed to be an endless corridor. Torches glowed in their holders on the wall, giving enough light to see, but not enough to make this place any cozier. They went down three flights of stone steps and into a new corridor, then took a turn to the left and one to the right. Like Daniel had pointed out to Jack this place was a lot bigger than it appeared to be from the outside because it had several underground levels.

Finally they reached another hall that turned out to be a kitchen. A large stove dominated the back wall and Jack could make out shelves and counters. The torch light was a little more bright down here and he saw pots and pans, a knife-block, dishes next to a large wash stand. It smelled of old fat and sod.

"If the resistance group, as you call it, had been better organized and if people had not been scattered all over the world, once upon a time we might have been able to do something. But the drug Jelica and Tanita invented was too weak to sustain all the Jaffa who lived here at that time. We had too few people in the main city and we only had the pigeons to carry messages." More coughing. The monk went to one of the shelves. He took down a goblet and a large carafe. He filled the goblet with trembling hands and drank thirstily before he continued. "Pigeons were shot down, messengers were captured and memory stamped. As the years went on and the portal sent less and less travelers, everyone thought the time of stamping had come to an end and no one bothered to keep the group organized anymore."

"But now that the portal has opened again..." Jack started. He hoped Carter had found Teal'c by now. They had to join her and keep those other monk-guys at bay.

"I am old. I will soon be gone. As well as my brother, Ibrihim. Ach, Ibrihim's mind is even more fragile than his body these days. But with the new Jaffa the authorities sent new monks. Two of them. They brought him here, unconscious and shackled on a horse wagon. Young ambitious men who hold daily prayers and meditation with the Jaffa. Men who believe what they are doing is right and just." The monk took a rattling breath and drank more from his goblet. Jack could smell the sour wine even where he stood. "Fools. But they were stamped to believe they had always worked as sinner monks. This has been unheard of before, but they did not need training when they arrived here."

"The first Jaffa who came here were the former servants of Ba'th's goddess Isis and Horus. They came out of free will to prevent their symbiotes from spreading out and taking hosts," Danny said.

The hooded head turned slowly towards the kid. "You know about the ancient times? How can you? How is that possible? Even those who used to be in that resistance group never knew the whole truth about Jaffa."

"Let's say we're well educated," Jack said before Danny could lunge into a full-blown lecture.

The hood nodded. "I see, I see. Well, in the ancient times, once the gods had left and abandoned their armies, the Jaffa came together here to await the maturation of the prim'ta and their death. Instead of leaving through the portal they wanted to reach the afterlife and the first generation of monks helped them on their way to the end until no Jaffa was left. Here and there a son or a grandson, a nephew, showed up when their turning point had come. Sent by their families. But without symbiotes to put into them their suffering was short and they died soon. It was around that time the sinner legend somehow wormed its way into people's head."

"They programmed the sinner legend into the memory stamps of everyone who arrived after Isis and Horus left," Danny said. "And they made sure people wouldn't be able to read the old writings in their ruins or on scrolls anymore. Slowly the truth was forgotten."

"In time no more direct descendants arrived here. But there were other worlds. Whenever the portal opened and Jaffa came through, the authorities sent them here. No one wanted Jaffa walking free on Ba'th, They had to be locked away."

"But you know the truth. Were the monks kept in the know like the Mentors and Shadows?" Jack asked.

"The first monks were in the know because the Jaffa themselves hired them. Later, the truth was handed down always from the oldest monk to one of his most trusted brothers or pupils so that it would not be completely forgotten. It was tradition. My mentor gave me the truth before he died and I kept the secret as it was expected of me. I even kept some of the truth from Jelica and Tanita who approached me about the drug and the resistance group. They had Mentors in their family. I never did completely trust them.

"Those new monks they sent with this last Jaffa are stamped," the old man repeated sullenly after he had recovered from another coughing fit and drunk more wine. "Authorities probably thought no one was still alive here, thought it was easier to just stamp those young men to make them believe they had been trained to be sinner monks all their lives."

"And once Teal'c is dead..." Danny started and then gasped when he realized he had given them away. But they were already made, so it probably didn't matter.

The monk either didn't care or hadn't noticed the slip. He started pacing as he rasped out, "Once that Jaffa is dead those young men will be condemned to live in this place to their deaths. Buried alive, their only goal to await new sinners. If there ever will be new sinners. They will endure the hard work of gardening, taking on the pointless task of trying to make repairs on this rotten, old building. They will slowly go mad like Ibrihim. Or they will get sick from the mold or the rats living everywhere. They will never walk free again because they are stamped to believe their destiny is to stay here."

"We can help," Danny blurted out.

The monk laughed. "When your dada called outside and said Jadah sent you I had hope. I don't know why or for what exactly, but I did. Foolish old man that I am. What can you do? Why are you here? What do you think you can accomplish?"

Jack hitched Danny higher and stepped close to the monk. "Show him."

Danny's arm stretched out and his hand vanished under the old man's hood. For a moment they stood frozen, the silence only interrupted by the ragged breaths of the monk.

"You defeated your own memory stamps," the guy whispered finally. "And you believe you can escape. And destroy the venus trap?"

"Well, that's the plan," Jack said.

"If the trap is destroyed no one will ever be stamped again and you are all free to leave this place," Danny added.

"And you want to take your Jaffa friend. But his symbiote has to come out today, without it he will die."

Danny's hand touched the old man's face once more. Probably giving him a picture of Carter refining Jelica's drug. Maybe giving him a huge dose of hope and confidence.

When he pulled his hand away, the monk shuffled out of the kitchen. "We must hurry."


	2. Chapter 2

**III**

There was nothing but decay. A cocoon of black, heavy shroud that enclosed his mind. No sense of time, no energy left to fight. The bitter taste of kek was all around him. A foul and dishonorable taste, him being the core of it.

He opened his eyes to the bright light of the candles which usually accompanied his kel'no'reem.

The day had finally come. He could feel the restless stirring in his pouch, could sense the agitation of his symbiote. It wanted out. It craved a host. It believed its time was here to rule and to conquer.

_Today you will die_, Teal'c thought with faint satisfaction. _You will not conquer, you will not rule and you will not enslave. You will only die. By my hand._

The symbiote quivered in its cage that had been its womb for so long. It heard Teal'c's thoughts, but it didn't believe. IT was god. IT was evil. IT was almighty. How could IT die?

Evil. But foolish.

Teal'c closed his eyes to go back to his meditation. However, today his mind was restless.

His cell and the meditation room was all he knew. It was all he had seen since he had woken up here. He did not know what kind of world lay outside these walls. If it was green and rich or barren desert. If the skies were blue or yellow or of any other color. He did not know how many moons or suns were orbiting around this planet. He did not remember the destination number the Tau'ri had given it.

The monks never talked to him except for the sermons they preached during the joint kel'no'reeming. They spoke Goa'uld, but they were not Goa'uld. Nor Jaffa. They promised redemption. Ascension. The cleansing of sins. The words they kept repeating over and over were just that. Empty words. They did not even know real Jaffa beliefs or real Jaffa rituals.

They wore pain sticks. He did not fear those. Physical pain had been part of his life ever since Master Bra'tac had started to train him for his First Prime duties. Bra'tac had taught him how to face pain, how to control it. His body suffered, but agony would pass.

Pain sticks alone would not have forced him to his knees.

Yet, they had taken something from him. Something O'Neill would call his 'mojo'.

Once Teal'c had been a warrior of great skills and cunning. Once he had vowed to free all Jaffa from the Goa'uld. He had fought side by side in battle with Bra'tac, side by side with the Tau'ri. The sacrifices he had to make for the path he had chosen were great and many, but he had believed in the cause. Once he used to have faith in the strength of the Jaffa soul, the Jaffa heart, the Jaffa mind. One day his people would throw off the shackles of slavery and rise as a new nation, no longer forced to serve false gods. They would not have to live in fear any longer. They would thrive and dance on the graves of their enemies.

He knew who he used to be.

Teal'c.

Son of Ronac.

Teal'c of Chulak. Teal'c of the Tau'ri. Teal'c, the Shol'va – and proud to be the Shol'va. The false gods had spoken his name with disdain and anger, but they had also learned to fear him. Because he had turned many Jaffa over to his side, had made them see what the Goa'uld really were.

Now he was kek. Weak. His mind poisoned, his thoughts clouded and slow. His body trembling from withdrawal if he did not receive his dose of the drugs.

He had no recollection when he had first woken in this place. He could not determine how long he had been here since. He had not seen the sun, nor the rain or the moon. He had refused the tea and plants they had attempted to force into him. He had tried to overcome his captors, but they had kept him at bay with the pain sticks.

Teal'c could endure pain and being tied up, he could refuse nourishment and water for a very long time. But even he could not keep his body from passing out eventually. That was when the changes had begun. When they had forced the tea down his throat and 'nursed' him back to consciousness with their leaves and berries. Again and again. Until the dark, heavy shroud hung over his mind, paralyzed his reflexes, took away his 'mojo'.

They had stopped binding him then. Because they had known they had broken him. His body had started craving the tea and the leaves. His hope for escape or being freed by his friends had died.

He had endured. The sermons of the monks had washed over his head as he kel'no'reemed and waited.

This last act he would master. The Goa'uld he carried would only see the light of day to die. The hate was all he had left. The hate for the creatures who had enslaved his people and called themselves gods.

I am Teal'c.

Son of Ronac.

Tal Shakka Mel.

He would die free.

His cell door opened with the metallic bang of the heavy lock being turned.

Teal'c rose from his cross legged position, ignoring his trembling legs. His body had lost some of its natural strength a long time ago. It had not been taken care of properly. The prim'ta had kept him alive, but without his daily exercises and sparing practice, without fresh air and proper nourishment, his body had not been in sync with the mind any longer. The prim'ta was supposed to repair any damage done to the body of the host, but the drugs had weakened that bond, too. At the same time it caused the prim'ta to grow faster and to focus more on itself than on the host.

He stood, turned and stoically faced the entrance.

The prim'ta in his belly twitched and pressed against the opening slits.

_Soon_, he thought maliciously. _You will receive what you deserve.__What all of your kind deserve. _

For the first time since his arrival here Teal'c looked forward to seeing the monks.

There was only one of them today. He approached in silence, face hidden under the hood as usual.

"I am ready," Teal'c growled. "It is time to end this."

The monk reached up and pushed away the hood. "I know you want to get rid of it, Teal'c, but can you keep it inside just a little bit longer?"

His mind was beginning to shut down along with his body. Now it was not only clouded and covered by layers of shroud. Now it was starting to trick him, playing cruel games.

"Teal'c?" The mirage stepped closer.

"You are not real." He put a hand on his quivering pouch. "Do not attempt to stand in my way."

"Teal'c, it's me, Sam. Even if you don't remember who I am – try to trust me. I'm a friend. You have to keep the symbiote just until we are out of here. I can help you. Listen to me!" A cool hand settled on his arm. He pushed it aside. The illusion was powerful. Was it the prim'ta sending him false images?

Her image began to double, then stabilized again. Sweat poured down his brow and trickled into his eyes. He reached into his pouch, his fingers closed around the rapidly moving prim'ta. IT was not happy. IT was supposed to leave on its own and choose a new host. IT wasn't supposed to be dragged out like this.

"Teal'c, NO!"

Behind the illusion, two more hooded figures appeared in the open doorway; one of them holding the ceremonial knife. The other one pulled a pain stick from his robes and stepped behind...

"MajorCarter!" The warning broke out of him, a hoarse guttural yell. He was holding the prim'ta by its neck. It curled and hissed and tried to break free.

MajorCarter whirled around in one sleek motion and kicked the monk stabbing at her. The ceremonial knife flew backwards and stuck in the door.

Teal'c broke his prim'ta's neck with one quick twist of his hands and let it drop to the floor.

The other monk raised the pain stick.

Teal'c bowed his head and plowed forward, colliding with the robed body, bringing them both down. His fingers closed around the pain stick and he jerked it out of the other man's hand.

Pressed it against a bony shoulder.

The cries were harsh and deafening, the humming of the stick making him sick to his stomach. He reeled back, staggered to his feet. The monk rolled over, covering his head with his arms, whimpering.

Footfalls in the corridor.

Teal'c spun around, the pain stick raised, eyes wildly darting to the door. He was dizzy and weak. He could feel the end coming. Soon.

The monk on the floor came to his knees. Teal'c rammed the pain stick into his side, watched him break down again in slow motion.

Everything turned to slow motion. Life was running out of him like a steady trickle of

He saw the second monk on the ground by the door. He saw O'Neill bursting through the doorway, pain stick in his hand.

"O'Neill," he said in wonder, still uncertain if he was imagining things.

When he saw the small child running past O'Neill, he sank to the floor, his knees hitting hard stone. He smiled. What an odd illusion. The child was bathed in a faint glow. Its voice was like the soft chime of bells, yet it was loud and clear.

"Daniel, you must come and help Teal'c! Daniel! Come quick!"

Strong hands grabbed his arms, tried to hold him upright.

"Dammit, Teal'c, I told you to wait!" MajorCarter's voice to his right.

"We have to get outta here right now." O'Neill to his left.

"No, we have to wait for Daniel." The child. Where had the child come from? What was the meaning of it being here? Had it come to take him to a place like Kheb?

O'Neill and MajorCarter tried to help him stand, but he shook his head. "Leave me," he whispered.

"Are you kidding? You think we came all this way to leave you here in this rotten rathole? Get your ass into gear, big guy, it's time to go!" Anger spiked O'Neill's voice. Anger to cover desperation. He had seen this reaction in his friend many times. DanielJackson had once called it one of Jack's coping mechanisms.

"O'Neill." He gripped the other man's wrist. So real. "I am free. I am ready to go."

"Teal'c, you are drugged and weak, and you WILL die if we stay here. But I can give you something to make you better," MajorCarter said.

"The child," Teal'c said weakly, locking his eyes on the boy crouching in front of him. "The child will guide me."

He slipped away and felt the shroud lift from his mind like a veil that was pulled away. He felt a gentle pat on his shoulder and his body mattered no more.

ooo

'And I thought you had forgotten everything, including who you were.' DanielJackson stood before him. His glow was much stronger than that of the child. He was of a transparency that would have appeared fragile if it wasn't for the silver light surrounding him.

'DanielJackson.' He bowed his head. 'I have not forgotten who I am. But I have failed. I have let them break my will. And my body.'

'Teal'c... '

'Have you come to guide me to the afterlife?' He had once believed it was Kheb. He did not know where the afterlife would take place now, if there even was one. But DanielJackson was here, so there had to be somewhere to go.

'Actually, I'd like you to reconsider that afterlife thing for a moment.'

'I cannot go with you as a punishment for my failures.' He lowered his gaze. It had to be so. He had not fought to the death, had let them overpower him. Surely he had to pay for this. Kek was despised by all Jaffa, it had to be despised by the Ascended as well. He should have known.

'No, Teal'c, it's not about failure. See, you're not dead yet. Not all the way. There's still time if they get you out of here soon enough.'

'SG-1, they are not an illusion? What about the child?' Teal'c had been sure, in the end, that his friends appeared to him to make letting go easier.

'Danny? He's... It's complicated. He can explain it to you, but you need to turn back and fight. Today is not a good day to die, Teal'c.'

'I cannot live without the symbiote. It is dead.'

'You don't need it anymore.'

'No Jaffa has ever lived on without the prim'ta. It is the bane of our existence. Yet, it is what keeps us strong. What keeps us alive. Without it we are nothing.'

'Sam has created a drug.'

'I am tired, DanielJackson.'

DanielJackson moved closer and, as Teal'c was bathed in his light, they looked into each other's soul. Teal'c recognized a dark dolefulness similar to his own in his friend. They both had lost something essential. But deep in DanielJackson's core Teal'c could feel a rekindled glimmer of hope, a small spark of the great passion that used to be the scholar's drive, his motivation to never give up, to never surrender.

'Right now you just have to trust me that everything's going to be all right. We can't keep this up much longer. I have given you enough energy to leave with them. Fight it, Teal'c.'

'I have not fought any battle in a very long time. I am weak.' He wished not to go back to that battered body of his. 'I have not forgotten who I am, DanielJackson, but I am not the one I once was.'

'Yes, Teal'c, you are. You just need to believe it. Do it for Rya'c. For Bra'tc. For your people. Go out there and continue the fight. That's what your journey is. That's where you're needed. Don't you dare give up now because you don't feel worthy of living. I made that mistake once and I would never advise anyone else to do so.'

He listened to the words, but more so to the fierceness of them. DanielJackson had always been a passionate speaker. He used words like a Jaffa would his staff. Fast, aimed at its target, efficient.

'Have you revised your own opinion about not being worthy, DanielJackson?'

'I'm working on it.'

If there was hope in Daniel, maybe there could be hope inside him as well.

'Rel'tor'key, Teal'c.' _Good luck. _

Suddenly, bright lights exploded around them and DanielJackson was swept away. 

ooo

Teal'c was outside. The wind rustled in the trees like a sweet lullaby his mother used to sing to him when he had been a small child. Even smaller than the one he had seen in his cell before MajorCarter and O'Neill had brought him here.

Outside.

He had not been outside in a very long time. Each breath, as painful and difficult as it was, brought delicious cool air into his aching lungs. Fresh and rich with the smells and taste of a green forest, drops of night dew, the spicy smoke of a smoldering fire near by. Each breath was pain and a harsh fight. Each breath was freedom and a proof that he was not imprisoned any longer.

A bowl touched his lips and he forced his body to comply, forced his mind to understand that this was for healing, not for breaking him further. And he opened his chapped lips and allowed MajorCarter to feed him a bitter brew.

MajorCarter, who was not a mirage.

He felt soothing cold on his brow, his arms and legs, as something wet was wiped over his hot skin. He wanted to open his eyes and see the sky, but his lids were too heavy to comply. He thought of Rya'c and Bra'tac, of his wife and Chulak – foggy ghostly images sliding in and out of focus. He felt his chest heaving with dry retching and his limbs cramping, then the soothing cold wetness was back. And another bowl held to his mouth, the encouraging murmur to drink. Then comforting nothingness carried him away...

He was cold, his skin drenched in chilling sweat. Not even the soft fur they had covered him with brought warmth. His teeth wanted to clatter and he gritted them. His eyes popped open. Everything was surrounded by a blue aura; the crowns of the trees, the face hovering over him. The sky he had longed to see was moving like a living thing. He bit his tongue and tasted blood; metallic and sweet. His hands clawed into the soft soil as his body bucked and thrashed.

A voice, distorted and coming from far away, told him to stay calm.

O'Neill.

Teal'c tried to focus on that voice, but it grew fainter until it was merely an echo.. He welcomed the darkness once again...

The outside world came and went, he slipped in and out of it, sometimes hot and thirsty, sometimes cold and sure he was going to die any moment. He had no fear of dying, but DanielJackson's words floated back to him.

_Today is not a good day for you to die, Teal'c. _

Not a good day to die.

Not today.

He rode on the brink of nightmares, not remembering them when the outside world took shape and form again for a while.

One time Teal'c woke and something was different. He had dreamed of his son. And he remembered the dream. They had gone on their first hunt together. Rya'c had shot his first prey. Teal'c had been so proud, but then it had been Rya'c on the ground, his body bloodied and broken, his young face still and his eyes lifeless...

He'd jerked awake, gasping for air, his eyes flew open.

It was night.

Far away, above the canopy of trees stars twinkled. No colorful auras. A dying fire was crackling close by and a small stream gurgled somewhere. He lay perfectly still - no cramps – and then carefully fingered the fur covering his body. It was soft and kept him warm. No cold. No trembling.

A hand, feather-light and shy, patted his shoulder. There was a whisper close to his ear. "Teal'c?"

He turned his head, slowly, and moistened his lips, not sure if he could speak. Finally the words came across, sounding strange in his own ears. "Is it you?"

"Jack said not to bug you, but I couldn't sleep." It was the child. The child from before. There was no glow now, just a small boy, clouded in shadows, and a hand patting and stroking his cheek.

Teal'c felt a sudden sense of home. Of his Tau'ri home – the light and shadow play of the candles in his room at the SGC. Bits and pieces of conversations during lunch at the commissary. O'Neill's strange, and mostly bad, jokes. Major Carter beside him on the tread mil at the gym. DanielJackson walking down corridors, carrying or reading a book, talking to him at the same time.

Then the hand was gone and with it the sensation.

But the child was still here. "You said Rya'c's name. Do you miss him?"

"I do."

"Sam said the fever broke. That's good."

"Indeed."

He felt the blanket being tugged away, then the boy settled in, curling up against him. Teal'c carefully cradled the child in the crook of his arm and felt the heartbeat strong and steady against his own chest. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep, refreshing, healing sleep.

**IV**

Jack washed the sour-sweet seedy fruit down with the awful herbal tea and tried not to think of the morning coffee and fresh bread he would enjoy if he was still in Ba'th Town.

"I know," Carter said, giving him a sympathetic look from the other side of the fire. "Cuisine isn't the best around here, sorry, sir."

He glanced into the bowl he currently used as a mug. "Not your fault. No offense, but how can you stand this crap?"

"I like tea. As for the food - I guess you just get used to living with what nature is willing to give you. But my menu was a lot better at Jadah's, too. She was a wonderful cook and her whole wheat bread was to die for."

He scratched an itchy spot at the back of his neck. He longed for a proper shower. "It's not just the food."

"You want to move. But, sir, I think we're safe here for the time being. Those monks never came after us. Maybe the old guy locked the stamped ones up."

"Maybe." Jack glanced over at Teal'c and for a moment his worries were chased away by the sight of coziness. He had found them like this when he'd gotten up an hour or so ago.

Teal'c was fast asleep, holding Danny close to him like a precious doll. One of the boy's palms rested on Teal'c's heart, his other hand was firmly attached to his own mouth – the thumb anyway.

"Do you think he's keeping Teal'c calm? He's slept peacefully for a couple of hours now," Carter mused as she followed Jack's gaze.

"Who knows. Let's hope it stays that way," Jack groused. The last four days had been touch and go. Maybe this was a breakthrough and the worst was over.

"The drug seems to be working," Carter said on a sigh of relief.

"Yeah." He gave her the thumb's up. "Good work, Major. You do realize you might enable all Jaffa to live without being dependent on symbiotes?"

"Oh, we're not there yet. Not by a long shot. Teal'c made it through, but he still needs a new symbiote. Right now this drug is a substitution at best."

"When will he be ready to leave?"

"Could be a week, could be less, could be longer. Sorry, sir, I can't really tell until he's awake and alert." She stoked the fire with a slender branch. "Have you decided on our next move? Where we will go?"

"Getting to that moon is giving me a big headache." Jack admitted. "We need two gliders. And weapons."

What they _really_ needed was His Glowing Highness to show up and give them intel. But Daniel had made himself scarce. Neither Jack nor Carter had seen him. And Danny hadn't been able to summon him either. Jack was torn between being annoyed and worried. What if The Others had put an end to their youngest pupil breaking the rules?

_He's smarter than letting them catch him. Maybe he just has to keep his head down for a while._

But dammit, they needed him.

"Why build a stargate on a moon?" he asked, curious to hear her thoughts on that.

She shrugged. "To keep it a secret from the planet's common people? To make sure no one found out about the venus trap? Or tried to escape?"

"For some weird reason that Isis character wanted her slaves to be happy. Danny says the trap and the memory stamp was Isis' idea originally. To make sure her slaves loved working themselves to death for her."

"Makes sense in a way. No issues with slave rebellions and discipline. And if the gate was on a moon no one would accidentally stumble over it and start asking questions," Carter agreed.

"Yeah, but it made traveling awfully complicated for the Goa'uld. They either needed gliders to get to the gate, or they had to go everywhere by ship," Jack said.

"Maybe those Goa'uld never used the gate anyway except for reeling in potential slaves and hosts," Carter mused. "Maybe its whole purpose was to bring in fresh blood."

Jack wasn't convinced. "We're missing something. I don't think the Goa'uld relied on ships only. If their ships were attacked in orbit or if some rival snake head bombed the surface they needed a fail safe escape route."

They stared at one another for a second, then blurted out, "Rings."

"Of course." She jumped up and started pacing. "There have to be rings somewhere. Maybe at headquarters in Madinah City."

Jack shook his head. "I don't think so. Ba'th Town was the main city back then. Madinah only rose to be capital city much later, after the Goa'uld were gone. They only celebrated their 250th anniversary a couple years ago. Wild parties all over the planet." It was funny how he remembered these kind of things as if he had actually been here when it had happened. His stamp wanted him to believe he'd been at one of those parties at the time, getting drunk and watching fireworks.

Carter stared at him, apparently having a similar experience. "I... I remember that. Well... not really, I guess, but..."

"I know what you mean." He shook that false memory off and focused on the here and now. "Everything big happened in Ba'th Town when the Goa'uld still ruled here. The games, executions, weddings, feasts, slave markets."

"So the rings could be somewhere in Ba'th Town."

"The theater," Jack said slowly.

"Yes! Possibly! Are those ruins big?"

"If there're rings they're in the catacombs. I never got around to checking out the whole complex, but it's pretty big."

"A map would make things easier. And then there's the time factor," Carter said, suddenly sobering.

"Sorry, no map. I got a book from Ba'th Vacations. It covers some basics to feed to the tourists, that's all. I guess we have to go and dig a little. I know a couple of local kids who'd be happy to give us a hand," Jack said.

Carter shook her head. "And what if we're wrong? What if there are no rings or what if the rings are in a caved-in section and not accessible? We don't have the equipment to move big rocks. It'll take us at least five days to get to Ba'th Town from here even if we got a second horse in the next village. It'd be a lot of wasted time and resources if it's just a wild goose chase. Teal'c needs his daily meds and I probably have enough for two weeks, three if I stretch it and don't give him the large doses he's getting now. We have to get off this planet and find him a new symbiote. Soon."

She was right. Madinah City was closer. But the odds of them getting into the authorities' headquarter and stealing gliders were bad. Even if Teal'c was back to full form in a couple of days – which Jack seriously doubted at this point – they still needed weapons first.

"We'll take our chances with the rings," he decided.

"We could make it to Alanyic within a day. That's just on the border of these woods if we go further north. We can buy another horse and be in Madinah in another two days. We could meet with Björk and ask him to organize floor plans of headquarters. He studies historical architecture, sir. That means he has access to the library's archive. I'm sure he can get into the section that's closed for the public. He said he'd help us."

"There's an archive with maps and floor plans?" Jack asked, pursing his lips. "What kind of maps are we talking about?"

"Historical maps. But also blueprints of government facilities with escape routes and bunkers. Björk and I talked about it once. He told me that, one day, he wants to travel all over Ba'th and categorize the ruins in every small town. He said there're some old maps in the closed archive and that he sometimes sneaks in there to look at some of them."

Jack remembered Mohawk telling him he had seen old maps of the Ba'th Town ruins, when they had argued about Jack's tour guide abilities. Mohawk had said there was no sign of the stargate from Jack's story on those maps. Well, of course there wasn't since Jack had made the whole gate thing up at the time. But whoever had drawn those maps a long time ago probably kept the rings off them - or surely a smart guy like Mohawk would have found some unusual squiggles when he'd studied them. And he'd have gone digging in the catacombs to figure out what those squiggles were all about.

But if there was an archive with classified maps and floor plans...

"Sir? Shouldn't we go to Madinah and try to sneak into headquarters?"

He shook his head. "Not exactly. But here's what we'll do..."

When he was done talking, Carter didn't look convinced. "You are sure there are rings in Ba'th Town then."

"It makes a lot of sense, don't you think?"

"Well, yeah... but I don't know, sir. We'd have to split up."

"Only temporarily. We're not getting into Madinah headquarters with Teal'c in bad shape and Danny in tow. Mohawk is the crucial factor here. If he can get his hands on classified material like maps, he might be able to gather some intel about the moon base and what we're facing there. Who knows, maybe he can even point me to some weapons. I'd hate to ring into unknown territory with only two pain-sticks to defend ourselves."

"I don't like splitting up," she said with a scowl.

"You can't show your face in Madinah because you don't know who your Shadow was. If you're seen by the wrong people we're screwed. Give me another choice. One that's fail safe and has less sketchy points." They locked eyes for a long moment and finally she took a deep breath.

"At this point, I can't give you a better option, sir."

"Mohawk said you'd know where and when to meet him."

"Every mid-week day in the evening hours. There's a pub not far from Madinah university. The Drunken Scholar. Students and teachers mingle there for drinks and dinner," she said reluctantly.

He did the math and said, "I'm leaving in three days. Don't want to hang around Madinah any longer than necessary either. You keep the horse for T and the kid. When I've got what we need I'll catch a train and we'll meet in Ba'th."

"Sir, what if there are no rings in Ba'th. We have to consider that possibility at least."

Jack couldn't explain it to her because he had no logical reason for it, but he knew there were rings in Ba'th Town. He could feel it.

"There are rings," he said simply.

She gave him an intent look. "Do you remember anything? Maybe they sent you to Ba'th via rings from the moon?"

"I don't know. I don't even remember what our mission was or when we got here. But something is telling me, there are rings in Ba'th, now that the thought actually occurred to me."

"Maybe you're right and people used to be transferred to Ba'th Town and sent to their final destinations from there when the whole stamping system was done regularly. Madinah City isn't old enough to have rings. You're right about that, too," she said thoughtfully. "But wouldn't the rings be guarded if they were still in use?"

"Authorities weren't forced to use them much anymore until we arrived, so maybe they have no need to guard the rings as long as they are well hidden. That whole stamping-new-folks system seems a bit old and rusty and they had to resurrect it quickly when we came through. They didn't want us to be together so they probably shipped you down to the city and sent me to Ba'th to be a beach bum, using the rings. And Teal'c went off to the monastery with those new monks." Jack said.

Carter blinked. "The monastery. Colonel, do you think they have rings?"

He shook his head. "Daniel would have told me if they had. He gave me a pretty good description of the place. The old monk said Teal'c was brought in unconscious and shackled on a horse wagon by the two other guys."

"Damn."

"Yeah."

Now that they had a plan he felt restless again. He was sick and tired of all the trees and the green out here and about the monastery being so close.

He was still discussing the finer points of their plan with Carter when Teal'c stirred and turned his head to look at them. "O'Neill."

Jack rose, walked over to his friend and crouched beside him. "Hey, T. Long time, no see. How ya doin'?"

"I am alive."

"Thanks to Glinda's good-witch powers."

"This is one of your Oz references."

"You remember those, eh? Good. Took me a while to get them back." Jack clapped his shoulder.

Teal'c looked down at the kid still nestled against him. "The child," he said with a note of wonder. "He is not a delusional creation of my mind."

"Nope, he fell form the sky one night. He's the star child. But you can call him Danny."

"He is a part of DanielJackson."

Jack thought that Teal'c might have been knocked out for a while, but he picked up on things fast.

The star child opened his eyes and instantly smiled at them, then yawned widely and stretched like a kitten before he crawled out from his sleeping place and hopped to his feet. "Oh oh oh. I gotta pee real quick!" With that he took off and vanished around the corner of the hut.

Carter knelt down beside Jack with a bowl. "Hey, Teal'c. Time for your medicine."

He came up to one elbow and took it from her. He emptied it in two long swallows. "Is this what is keeping me alive without the prim'ta?"

"Yeah. You have to drink two cups a day. Maybe we can go down to one in a day or two, I'm not sure."

Teal'c nodded. "Do I need to drink this for the rest of my life?"

"Well... we actually need to get you a new symbiote once we've managed to get off this planet. We'll try gating to Chulak. This drug is really only a substitute and not a long term solution," Carter replied, cringing.

"Perhaps the drug can be refined."

"That's what I'm hoping."

He handed the empty bowl back to her. "But even then I have traded one dependency for another."

"That may be so," she said, "but at least you wouldn't be at the mercy of the Goa'uld any longer if we can find a way to refine this drug. Maybe the Tok'ra can help synthesize the ingredients."

Teal'c lay back down and closed his eyes. "I see."

"Hey!" Jack nudged him. "Carter saved your butt. Show a bit of gratitude, will ya?"

She rose to her feet. "It's okay, Colonel. I get where he's coming from. It's like jumping out of the frying pan only to land in the fire. And we don't even know, yet, if the drug is going to work long term."

"Positive thoughts, Major," Jack said, wagging a finger at her.

She gave him a half-hearted smile, "Yes, sir."

After a moment Teal'c shrugged off the rabbit-skin and slowly came to his knees, then struggled to stand. He grudgingly allowed Jack and Carter to help him up, but then brushed off their hands rather brusquely.

"Uh, I'm not sure that's a good idea," Carter cautioned.

"I am fine."

"Stealing Daniel's lines?" Jack raised his hands appeasingly and backed off when the Jaffa's glare of doom was aimed his way.

Teal'c took a couple of staggering steps, then stood still with his head bowed, probably concentrating on staying upright. He did another step and another until he reached a tree. One arm shot out and a hand curled tightly around a sturdy branch.

Jack started moving, but the Jaffa raised a trembling fist. "Do not come any closer, O'Neill."

Danny, who had taken care of his full bladder, came over and planted himself in front of the big guy. He held out his hands. "Let me help."

"I do not need assistance, DannyJackson," Teal'c said.

"Do you want to fall on your nose and give Jack and Sam a reason to laugh at you?"

Carter opened her mouth, probably to tell Danny off, but Jack put a hand on her arm. "Wait," he muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

Teal'c raised his eyebrow. "I do not. I will catch my breath and continue. On my own."

"When I fell from the sky I was much smaller than Daniel. And some things are very different when you're small," Danny said, still holding his hands out to Teal'c. "I could remember swimming and tying my boots from when I was with Daniel. But I didn't know _how_ to swim anymore. And I still can't tie my boots properly."

"You will learn again."

"That's what Jack says. He taught me how to swim. And it came back to me. I just needed a little pushing. And you need a little balance. Just for starters," Danny said, beaming up at his large friend.

"And you will catch me if I fall on my nose, young Danny?" Jack could tell Teal'c found the thought amusing, which was distracting him from his frustration.

"You won't fall if I'm leading you," Danny said firmly. "And if it's real hard, just keep saying: I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. Like the little engine that could. Jack told me that story when we were riding on the train. About a small choo-choo that had to pull a looong train over a BIG hill all on its own."

"I see." The large man took the boy's hands. "Take the lead then."

Danny started walking backwards with Teal'c following. On unsteady legs at first, then gaining confidence with every meter they conquered.

Danny led Teal'c in a wide circle, over to Jelica's house.

"Can you go on?" Danny asked once or twice.

"I think I can," Teal'c replied dutifully and Danny laughed.

Jack and Carter followed them, ready to jump in if needed.

But the two of them were doing just fine.

After a fourth round Teal'c settled down by their fire and accepted the pouch of water Carter offered him. He drank thirstily and wiped sweat from his brow. Danny nodded with satisfaction. "I will train you, Teal'c! You will be fit in no time."

"I am honored, Master Danny," the Jaffa replied and bowed his head.

"Wow," Carter said with a wide grin. "Keep it up and we'll be out of here in a couple of days."

ooo

Daniel had a bird's eye view on Jelica's house and its current occupants. He had watched Teal'c's healing process and Sam's tireless efforts to keep him alive through those first four days until the turning point.

Teal'c had started to exercise as soon as he'd been able to walk again. Now, two days after he'd taken his first steps, he was trying hard to get back into shape.

Sam was worried about how relentlessly he pushed his body, but there was little she could do and Jack told her to trust Teal'c to know his limits.

"Never get in the way of a Jaffa's work out," he said as they watched Teal'c doing push-ups and sit-ups with Danny sitting next to him, counting.

"He's overdoing it, sir."

"Maybe. But if this is his way of coping, let him. He's been holed up in that monastery for months."

Sam sighed. "And he needs to know he's in control of his own body again. Get his mojo back? Way of the warrior?"

"It's a Jaffa thing."

"I don't know, sir. I think it's probably a guy thing," she said with a little snort.

"Like _you_ wouldn't want to be back to full form ASAP, huh?"

"Back to full form, yes. Not trying to kill myself. He's at it for hours and he won't take a break."

"All right. There's one way to get him to stop. Let's fix lunch," Jack said.

Daniel looked on as the two of them got busy preparing a meal while Danny kept counting Teal'c's push-ups.

It was good to see them back together. Their bonds were already starting to stabilize, their connections getting stronger. Strangely, the time they had spent separated from each other and their former lives seemed to have taken away some of their pains. The estrangement that had started between Daniel and Jack, but had somehow affected the whole team like a slow, but deadly, poison, was gone. In its place Daniel could sense the blossoming of a re-kindled closeness. They had fallen back together like clockwork; all the pieces still fit perfectly. But whereas the clock had been rusty and slow before, it would soon be shiny and run smoothly again. Resurrected. They were still in the stage of syncing all the tiny wheels and nuances, but they were getting there.

Later they sat around the small fire, eating grilled meat and some kind of salad Sam had fixed. Danny was between Jack and Teal'c, tearing into his piece of meat with gusto. He chattered on about Teal'c's work out and how they were going to find rocks to use as weights after lunch.

"Why use rocks? He can just lift you," Jack teased.

"Ja-ack, I'm not a dumbbell."

"But I bet you're just the right size and weight."

"I'm not."

"Sure you are."

Teal'c gave the pair an amused look. "I shall test DannyJackson's aptitude to be a suitable weight after lunch."

Daniel's mini-him squealed with delight and started bugging Teal'c to eat faster until he had finally finished his meal and announced he was ready. They moved away from the fire. Teal'c grabbed Danny around his middle and lifted him high over his head with both arms, then turned him over until he was horizontal.

"Tense all your muscles, make yourself as heavy as you can," Teal'c told the kid. Then he started pushing Danny with slow movements, flexing his biceps.

"Higher! Faster!"

"Patience, DannyJackson. Speed is not always the most efficient way of weight-lifting."

"And we don't want you to get sick," Jack threw in from the sidelines.

Daniel soaked up the laughter of the child, suddenly longing to join them. To be a part of that group again. To feel the simple joy of all the things he couldn't have anymore. Mini-him had been right. He missed all that.

If he wanted to add another failure to his list, this was it; he hadn't been ready to go with Oma after all.

He had tried so hard to make a difference for others, to make this universe a better place. But he had never been able to make a difference for himself in the first place. When all was said and done the real reason he had left was because he couldn't mend his broken heart and he'd grown so tired of picking up the pieces time and again.

Of course his other option had most likely been death, but Oma's offer had come at just the right time in his life. He had thought ascension would change him, enlighten him. Bring him peace.

Ascension _had_ been a great adventure, a ride of wonder and enlightenment. But all the secrets of the universe, all the knowledge he had gained and all the new experiences he had made... all that could not make up for what he had left behind.

_Sometimes you only learn to appreciate the things that matter when they are gone. _Whatever happened next, he hoped Danny would grow up sheltered by SG-1's love and protection. That he would not have to lose his family.

'Daniel, it is time.' Oma's presence was dimmed by her somberness.

'I know.'

'They are waiting for you.'

'I need to talk to Jack one last time.'

'He has a plan. It is a good plan.'

'I have all the information he needs.' But he was condemned to watch. He couldn't show himself even if he wanted to. When they had pulled him away from Teal'c they had taken his ability to change form, to make himself seen or heard. He was unable to do anything but float around and observe.

Invisible shackles that kept him from leaving orbit, too. He needed to stay in the planet's atmosphere now. The Others were preparing for their version of a trial.

Energy tendrils gently wrapped around him. 'It is pointless to tell you that you should have marked my words. Giving Teal'c life energy was more than The Others were willing to tolerate. I did my best to keep them occupied elsewhere, but they can only be distracted for so long.'

'I just remember something,' Daniel said, 'Years ago, when we came to Kheb... You killed all those Jaffa. Who held you responsible for interfering then?'

'Kheb was my world. The Jaffa and Goa'uld had no business being there. Neither did you, by the way. But you were a much more pleasant sight than them.' He could hear a smile in her mental voice. 'Protecting the Harsesis child was worth any possible consequences. The Others might have punished me, but they would not have turned their back on Shifu.'

'But they didn't punish you,' Daniel pointed out.

Oma didn't reply, but she tugged at him. It was time to leave.

'Wait. Give me a moment.'

He looked down at his friends. Teal'c was now holding Danny's arms while Jack and Sam each held onto one leg, swinging him back and forth. Pearls of bubbly laughter floated across the canyon.

He hoped the kid wouldn't sense what was going on until the very end. But they were still linked and Daniel had no idea how much Danny would be affected by what was going to happen.

'Will he be safe?'

'They will not harm him,' Oma said softly. 'I will make sure of that.'

'Good.' He had no idea what The Others had in store for him. What kind of consequences they were considering dishing out for helping a friend in need. He could only hope no one but him would have to pay for his _sins_.

And that Jack would forgive him for not showing up on Christmas or Groundhog day.

ooo

The fire was like a warm, bright beacon in the dark as the evening turned into night. It was considerably cooler now than it had been a week ago. Carter, Teal'c and the kid were sipping hot tea and Danny looked like a mini-bear wrapped in the rabbit-skin.

Jack was by the front door, checking his pack to make sure he had everything he needed. He was planning on leaving early, before sunrise if possible. He knew he was a coward for trying to steal away before the kid was up, but he wanted to avoid tears and agonizing goodbyes.

Though, all things considered, Danny had taken the news fairly well. He hadn't thrown a fit and there hadn't been accusations or tears when Jack told him this afternoon. He had been strangely quiet all evening, but still not angry. Not even sulking. Just... dimmed. Like someone had turned the light down a little.

Jack suppressed a sigh as he glanced at the small group settled around the fire. They were in deep conversation. Danny was sitting on Teal'c's knee and Carter was listening intently to something he was saying. They kept their voices down, too. Jack felt strangely removed from them. Like he had already left.

He remembered these moments from before; where he had found himself on one side of the fence and his team huddled together on the other side, not happy with him. Not agreeing with his decisions, believing he was oh-so-wrong.

Which, occasionally, he was. But not this time. And they would get over it. Even Danny. Hopefully.

He closed his pack and carried it inside to deposit it by the door. On the counter under the window were several flasks and bottles lined up. Teal'c's special traveling fare. Carter had sealed the corked bottles with candle wax to make sure they didn't leak.

_Okay. Let's get this over with._

Stepping back out into the night he straightened his shoulders and walked into the lion's den. He settled down next to Carter and accepted the bowl of icky tea she handed him. "Hey, kids, planning a mutiny?"

He got them with that one. Carter's smile did a complete upside-down turn. Teal'c raised his eyebrow. Danny said, quite politely actually, "Don't be an ass, Jack."

"Sir, we discussed your orders and..."

"They are _orders_, Carter. I take it you remember what an order is?"

"As your 2IC it's my job to offer a different option."

"Which you tried. We agreed there is no better option."

"But, Jack, listen to us!" Danny slipped off Teal'c's knee and wriggled himself into Jack's lap. "You can't go to Madinah alone. You've never been there. Sam knows where that pub is and how to get there. And we shouldn't pay good money for another horse. We need your money for other stuff."

"I'm sure I can find my way around Madinah City, buddy."

"But you don't have to. Sam knows the way. And we figured out how to get there real fast," Danny said, bouncing a little."We'll take the train!"

"Oh, yeah? I can just see all four of us sneaking onto a train."

"Noooo, not like that! We'll go to Alanyic and buy new clothes. Rich people's clothes. That way we can get a train ticket to Madinah. Sam will dye her hair. No one will recognize her. Teal'c can wear a hat to cover the tattoo. You and Sam meet funny-hair-guy and Teal'c and I will wait at the hotel."

"What hotel?" Jack asked, a bit overwhelmed.

"The hotel we stay the night. Rich people hotel. Like the ones in Ba'th Town."

"Great idea, Danny-boy. There's that insignificant little issue about needing a lot of money to buy rich people's clothes, paying the barber and getting a train ticket. Not to mention a hotel."

"You took money with you. And we'll sell the horse to get the clothes and buy the train ticket."

"Aaaand...?"

"When we're in Madinah City we'll check into a hotel and..." Danny scrunched up his face, thinking hard. Then he shrugged. "Okay, no hotel, too expensive. But Teal'c and I can do some sightseeing while you and Sam meet funny-hair-guy."

Jack gave Carter what he hoped was a deadly glare. "I can't believe you're using him to..."

"Sir, with all due respect, I'm not using Danny to get through to you. We've been discussing our options and he actually has a good idea there. If Björk can provide us with maps of headquarters we could probably find a way in and take gliders. Depending on how long it'll take him to come up with what we need I'm sure we can find a place to stay." She gave him a little smirk. "Besides, we won't need money for hair dye or a barber. I'm a herb woman after all."

"Carter! We are three and a half against the Armed Forces," Jack snapped.

"SG-1 has succeeded in missions with similar circumstances," Teal'c spoke for the first time. "Were we not up against an army of Jaffa on Klorel's ship. Did we not rescue JacobCarter from a place called Netu?"

"If we get floor plans we have an advantage. We can sneak in. They have no reason to believe we are coming. They won't know what hit them." Carter threw in.

"We need weapons, too," Jack cut her off.

"We will take down several guards and disarm them. Then we have weapons," Teal'c said.

"We shouldn't split up," Carter said firmly. "We just got back together. It seems... wrong. Sir."

Jack shook his head. Taking a four year old into a combat situation was wrong. Going against god knew how many armed forces like this was wrong.

And yet...

They had been here before; up against an unknown number of Jaffa or Goa'uld. Four people. They'd often made it through with a lot of bravado and a good portion of luck. Sometimes with unexpected help from the outside. But they'd always come home alive, somehow. And if they didn't, they'd always been lucky enough to get their fourth back.

Until Kelowna.

_But Daniel is here even now_, Jack thought with sudden clarity. _He's here. Little him is. And the rest of him is hopefully somewhere close. _

"I am ready to move," Teal'c announced into the ongoing silence.

"I only need to pack a couple more things," Carter said.

Jack almost smiled. They knew him too well. He wasn't sure what that said about his leadership abilities, but he'd put his own issues and doubts aside and given in to their reasoning before. Not always. Never easily. But he'd done it.

Because he trusted them. Because they were the best and brightest.

And if he put aside his resurfaced military training, if he went with his gut, he knew they were right. SG-1 shouldn't split up.


	3. Chapter 3

**V**

Jack was instantly awake, all his senses on alert. He lay still, listening to the gurgling stream and the whispering of the wind in the trees. He opened his eyes and looked over at the lump under a blanket beside him.

"Carter?"

She stirred, rolled over and looked at him. "Sir?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but she was wide awake, too. "I was just going to wake you. Something..."

"I know."

Something was wrong.

He couldn't hear or see anything out of the ordinary, but he could _feel_ it. Like electricity in the air.

"Danny." He felt the space by his other side where the kid should have been curled up, fast asleep. It was empty. Still warm, though. Maybe he just went to snuggle up with Teal'c. Danny spent a lot of time with the big guy and Jack could have sworn the kid's presence had a healing affect on their friend.

They both rose silently and moved to the door of Jelica's little house. They had slept outside by the fire, until a couple of days ago when temperatures had considerably dropped at nights. Teal'c still preferred not to be enclosed by walls. Jack wondered if he was having a bit of a PTS issue here. That would be a first, but Teal'c wasn't back to his full 100 %. Maybe a mild case of claustrophobia was part of the price he had to pay for losing junior.

There was no rain tonight. Through the open door they could see the dying fire.

"Where's Teal'c?"

"I don't know, sir. Can't see him. Maybe he couldn't sleep and took a walk."

Another side effect of losing Junior. Kel'no'reeming was no longer necessary, but Teal'c's body needed sleep now. He had told Jack that, because he wasn't used to it, he found it very difficult to fall asleep. So he kept meditating until he passed out and that didn't always work. At least that's how Jack understood it.

Carter handed him one of the pain sticks they'd taken from the monks and they slipped out into the night. The air around them bristled with energy. Jack felt as though he had gotten a jolt and could still feel the aftershock. His arms crawled with goosebumps.

Lightning shot from the sky and bathed the clearing by the stream in a bright white light. There was no thunder, though, not a sound.

"Is that Daniel?" Carter whispered.

They watched the white light expanding and evolving into a pillar of energy. Cirrus-like filaments reached for the star child standing motionless in the clearing.

"That's not Daniel." Jack didn't know how he could be so certain, but whoever was here with them was a lot more powerful. He surged forward just as the entity moved as well and engulfed Danny's small figure.

"Do not interfere," Teal'c's dark voice came from somewhere in the shadows. "I am sure DannyJackson will not be harmed."

"What's going on?" Carter asked.

Jack's eyes were fixed on his boy and the pulsing column. "It's Oma."

"I believe she is delivering a message." Teal'c moved to stand to Jack's left and Carter was on his right side. Together they watched, not daring to get between the ascended being and Danny. They had all seen what Oma deSala was capable off on Kheb.

_No interference rule, my ass_, Jack thought grimly. And; w_here the hell is Daniel? _

Oma moved away from Danny, but didn't disappear. She hovered silently, pulsing like a beating heart.

Jack decided he wanted answers. Now. "Hey! Excuse me?! I'd like to have a word with you."

She didn't reply nor did she react in any other way. But Danny turned to look at him and Jack could have sworn there was a soft glow surrounding him like an aura. "Oma says to take Teal'c's medicine and what we need. And to be quick."

"Why?" Jack was talking to Danny, but he continued to stare at the entity.

"She's gonna take us to Ba'th Town."

"And I ask again... why?"

"Daniel's gonna be there soon." A shudder rippled through the kid and he came running over to them.

Jack caught him and picked him up, relieved to have a solid body in his arms and not some weird delusion that wasn't a delusion. "You alright, kiddo?"

Danny buried his head against Jack's neck and nodded.

"I'll get our gear," Carter said.

"I will assist you."

Jack nodded and focused on Oma again. She kept her distance and didn't bother to communicate with him.

"What's going on?" he asked Danny.

"The Others are angry with Daniel. 'Cause he helped Teal'c to stay alive when he killed Junior."

"I thought that was Carter's wonder drug."

"Not at first. When we rescued him he didn't have his medicine," Danny explained.

"Ahhh, right." Jack refused to imagine what 'being angry' implied. He could only hope that the fact Oma was taking them to Daniel meant he was still alive.

Something heavy was dropped beside him and he registered Teal'c and Carter were back with their pack, bundles and blankets.

"I set the horse free," Teal'c said.

"Okay, that's..." But Jack was cut off when the wind started and picked up fast. The moon was shrouded in rolling black clouds. Trees were shaken violently and the gurgling of the stream rose to a swooshing. Jack felt Teal'c's hand grip his shoulder and he tightened his hold on Danny while Carter took his other arm. Oma came over them like a force of nature, blinding them with her brightness, and whisked them away.

ooo

"Okay, that's..." he started again when the spook was over and the night was still and quiet. The moon illuminated familiar territory. Oma was gone.

"Kinda cool," Carter summed it up.

"Indeed."

"Welcome to... my place." Jack took a tentative step forward, shaking off slight dizziness. "I guess there has been a change of plans."

"Sir, are these...?"

"The ruins of Ba'th Town, yep. You're standing in the arena of Ba'th's theater. In the ancient times gladiator games were held here. And if the goddess had an announcement to make she would assemble her Jaffa here. This is your local guide speaking, but we have to cut the tour short..." He put Danny down and took a good look around. "Where's Daniel?"

"O'Neill!" Teal'c pointed heavenwards and as they followed his gaze they saw him coming.

"Holy Hannah," Carter breathed.

Droplets of gleaming silver, caught in a beam of brightness, soared down. Danny had given Jack a glimpse of his own arrival, so he knew what to expect. Yet, he wasn't prepared at all for the beauty of this... descension. This rebirth. Resurrection. Whatever this was. There was a sound, like the faint tinkle of wind chimes, but maybe that was only in his imagination.

For an enchanted moment in time Jack O'Neill believed in elves and fairy dust and that happy thoughts could make you fly. That Oz was a real wizard and that going down the rabbit hole really took you to wonderland. He knew with clarity that Charlie was in a happy place and that Sha're had not died in vain. That, if he took a bit of the cowardly lion's courage, he could do anything he wanted and make his life worthwhile. And that he had been given a gift at this very moment. A second chance he didn't even think he deserved.

Daniel was given back to him.

He fought the urge to cover his eyes from the brightness when the particles morphed together into a twister, evolving, materializing...

He needed to see.

Slowly the light faded, was absorbed by the body lying curled up on the ground in the middle of the arena.

Jack ran.

He dropped to his knees beside Daniel, everything around him forgotten, and reached out to touch... warm skin. He slid his hand to the neck and felt a pulse, strong and steady. Grasping a shoulder, his fingers squeezed gently until the man slowly stirred and uncurled... in all his naked glory.

But Jack only had eyes for the familiar face,

He had seen his friend coming out of unconsciousness countless of times. He knew the signs for Daniel waking up so well; the way his eyebrows crinkled, the frown creasing his forehead. How he moistened his lips with his tongue just before he opened unfocused eyes...

"Daniel, hey, Daniel," Jack whispered, patting his cheek. "C'mon, time to wake up."

A soft groan, the flutter of opening eyelashes, and he was back.

"It's about time." Jack's palm still rested against Daniel's face, thumb absently caressing his cheek, as he waited for the recognition to return to the confused gaze that met his. As he waited for Daniel to say his name the way he usually did.

Daniel's mouth moved, but no words came across. He cleared his throat and then Carter was there, holding a water pouch to his lips. Daniel took a sip, then another one.

"How ya feelin'?" Jack asked.

"I..." His eyes darted back and forth between them. "I don't... know."

The rabbit-skin was handed down to them by Teal'c and as Daniel slowly sat up, Jack draped it over his shoulders. Daniel stared at it for a moment, then awkwardly pulled it around himself. "Thank you."

Remembering the day when Danny had fallen from the sky, Jack asked him if he was hungry.

Daniel frowned, then nodded. "Actually... yes."

"I'll... get you something," Carter said with a smile, wiping something from the corner of her eye, and retreated to wherever their gear was.

Finally Daniel's eyes locked onto Jack's, but there was only confusion, no recognition.

_Oh, you've got to be kidding me._ "Daniel?"

Daniel shook his head. "I don't know that name. And I don't know you."

Jack felt Danny pressing against his side and a small voice said, "He forgot everything. Oma said he's not allowed to remember anything from when he was with the stars."

"What about everything from before... before he was," Jack threw up a hand, "up there? Any reason for taking that away from him, too?" He took a deep breath to calm down. "What else did Oma say to you, Danny?"

Danny shrugged. His thumb wandered into his mouth and he gazed at his big version. "Dunno. Nof mupf elth," he mumbled around his thumb, sounding almost like Mania.

_He's lying_, Jack thought. But before he could get to the bottom of this, Carter returned with some cold grilled meat. Daniel accepted it with a nod of thanks. He took a small bite, chewed and smacked his lips, then started gobbling it down hungrily.

_Just like the short stuff._ Jack clasped Daniel's shoulder. "Can you walk?"

He paused from licking meat juice of his fingers and gazed at Jack's hand. "I should... know you." His eyes wandered from Jack to Carter and to Teal'c. "All of you. I'm supposed to know who you are." Then he looked at the kid. "I think I know you. But I can't... I don't... know how."

Danny reached out to touch Daniel's face, then pulled his hand back and burrowed his face against Jack's arm.

Jack decided to take a rain check.

He got to his feet and helped Daniel to stand. "Okay, let's get comfortable somewhere. Not much else we can do in the middle of the night."

Daniel brushed his hand off and took a step back. "Excuse me, but... who are you?" He looked down at himself. "And while we're at it... who am I? And why am I here... wherever here is... like this?" He made an attempt to cover his manhood with both hands. Then, apparently deciding that was even more awkward, he let his hands drop to his sides again.

"I don't know. Maybe Oma likes to see you naked," Jack quipped, making an effort at not looking down.

Daniel blinked. "Oma. As in Oma... who?"

Jack winced. "Oy."

Carter cleared her throat and stepped forward, her eyes not straying south either. "You're Daniel Jackson and you happen to be a good friend. I'm Sam, this is Jack and that's Teal'c. And the little guy here," she pointed at Danny who had sought refuge behind Teal'c's legs, "is Danny. We're stranded on this planet and need to find a way home. You... you've been away for a while and I think the one who sent you back, Oma, messed with your memories. But I'm sure it'll come back to you if you give it some time." She shrugged and smiled encouragingly. "That's it in a nutshell, I guess."

"And this Oma who took away my memories also took away my clothes."

"Well... it's kind of complicated," Jack muttered, then added brightly, "But I happen to have some spare clothes in my pack so don't worry about it. Let's get some rest and tomorrow... tomorrow is another day." He shepherded them across the arena and out of the theater, over to his former shelter which was hidden by its natural curtain of ivy.

Once he'd made sure no one was in there and most of the stuff he'd left behind was still accounted for, he lit a candle and rummaged around in their pack until he found his crumpled spare shirt and pants. Several of the small bottles containing Teal'c's meds were wrapped into them for safe keeping. Jack carefully extracted them and stored them in one of the wider cracks in the back wall.

They gave Daniel some privacy to dress and when he was done they stashed all their gear in one of the corners of the small room.

"There should be enough space in here for three of us. Get cozy and sleep. T and I will be outside," Jack ordered, then added, "First thing in the morning I'll go into town and get us some decent food."

Daniel picked up the rabbit-skin. "I'd rather stay outside, too," he said quietly and left to climb the rampart. Jack watched him as he stood on top of their shelter for a moment, just gazing at the sky. Then he sat down on the rabbit-skin, pulled his legs up and rested his elbows on his knees, his eyes scanning the horizon over the theater as if he was looking for someone or something to arrive.

"He probably needs space," Carter mused. "This is a lot to take in." After a pause she added. "For all of us."

"Yeah." Jack rubbed a hand over tired eyes. He knew he should go up there and offer some comfort, maybe a pep talk. But right now he was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that Daniel was back – and couldn't even remember his own name. Maybe it was only temporary, but what if it wasn't? "Let's try to get some more sleep."

They all ended up staying outside. Teal'c was trying to meditate, his tall figure nothing more than a shadow in the moonlight, the flames of three pillar candles he had arranged in front of him was flickering slightly. Jack stretched out on his back with Danny beside him and Carter settled down by the entrance of the shelter.

ooo

Sleep would not come.

Teal'c focused on the candlelight as he tried to find that space he usually reached during kel'no'reem. Where his body and mind became one. The symbiote had helped keep that balance and had provided him with the necessary life force to strengthen him and repair any potential damage in his body, recharging his vitals. The prim'ta had always been Teal'c's worst enemy, but it had also been his ally, his insurance for health and a long life.

With the prim'ta gone his body felt incomplete. Imperfect. MajorCarter's drug kept him alive, but it made him nauseous and dizzy. It was unsettling to feel this way. His muscles still cramped painfully if he stayed in one position for too long. His vision, his hearing, everything seemed dimmed. And the overall fatigue was annoying.

MajorCarter had said he needed sleep now so that his body could recharge in a different way than it was used to. But she had also cautioned that without his own immune system he would suffer withdrawal symptoms until he either took a new symbiote or the drug was refined.

He was alive. But he was not the man he used to be.

Yet, Teal'c was grateful to be alive. And free. Even with the shame of feeling weakened - for the first time in his long adult life he did not carry a prim'ta. And he lived. It was possible. He had the utmost confidence in MajorCarter's abilities to use the drug she had created as a basis for a much more efficient remedy.

O'Neill was correct. Even if he had to take this drug for the rest of his life, even if it meant another form of dependency – he did not need the Goa'uld to survive any longer. And if he could live like this, then others could too.

Some day.

He felt his leg muscles spasm and knew it was time to give up on finding peace in kel'no'reem. As he stood – not with the usual grace and easiness he was used to but more like an old man struggling to get up from the ground – he surveyed his comrades.

MajorCarter was asleep on her side, her head cushioned by her hands. O'Neill was on his back, one arm hugging young Danny to him.

DanielJackson had remained on the mound above the shelter. Teal'c could make out his silhouette against the starry night sky. It seemed he was not the only one being unable to sleep tonight.

He made his way up the mound to join the younger man and settled down beside him. He stretched his legs out in front of him and withstood the temptation to massage his aching thighs. All his limbs were constantly aching. Another unpleasant price he had to pay for killing the prim'ta.

"It's peaceful," DanielJackson said. "This place."

"Indeed."

"It feels very old."

"It was built a very long time ago."

DanielJackson took a deep breath. "It smells old, too. A bit dusty. Somehow... ancient. I like it. Unlike me, it has history."

They watched a small silver lining appear far away at the horizon. In a couple of hours it would be light.

"Who am I?" The question was asked with a hint of curiosity.

"You are a scholar. A man who has accomplished great things for his world, DanielJackson. You are also a friend I value very highly."

"Wow. That's a load."

"It is the truth."

"I get the feeling I was punished for something by whoever sent me back from... wherever I've been. That taking away my memories was a penalty."

"That may be so."

"So I'm probably not really this great guy and you shouldn't value me that highly."

"You have saved my life. Perhaps that is what you are being punished for. If that is so, I am deeply sorry."

"Well, I don't remember what I'm missing, so there's no need to be sorry. All I know, beyond some vague... echos... is that I don't know anything. Whereas you and Sam and Jim..."

"Jack O'Neill."

"Jack. You three seem to know me. And you all seem to think it's pretty normal for me to show up naked in the middle of... here... Do I do that a lot?"

"We were informed of your return by Oma."

"I'd really like to know who this Oma is."

Teal'c looked at the younger man's profile and, underneath the calm demeanor, he sensed anxiety paired with the feeling of being lost and alone. Isolated. Teal'c had spent a long time feeling that way, locked in the monastery. He had hung onto life by his fingertips. He had thought his comrades were long dead.

Yet, he had not ended his own life by killing his prim'ta before its time.

Maybe deep down he had still believed his friends were alive after all. Or that the opportunity to escape would present itself against all odds, even when he had been forced to cease fighting against the monks and the drugs.

"You will remember eventually. This is your greatest strength, DanielJackson; you never surrender and you never give up hope."

"Hope... I wish I knew what I am supposed to hope for right now. What if I'd rather not remember? Like Jim... Jack... didn't want to..." There was a pause and the younger man pressed his fingertips to his temple and let out a small groan. "That's something I know. Jack, the guy who thinks he's in charge around here – he had memory issues, too. And he didn't want to go there. He..."

"Are you in pain, DanielJackson?"

"Just... headache." DanielJackson frowned and shook his head. "Damn. It's gone. It was there just for a moment, and I lost it again." He rubbed his temples once more, then stopped. "The headache is gone, too."

"It will come to you. Until then you must know that you are among friends who care very deeply for you. Even though we are stranded on a world that is not our own, you did come home, DanielJackson."

"Teal'c is right, you know." MajorCarter reached the top of the mound and sat on DanielJackson's other side. She blinked repeatedly, but her voice was steady when she continued, "It's so good to see you, Daniel. So good to have you back."

The fourth member of SG-1 smiled for the first time, even though it was a sad smile. "Thank you. Now I really wish I could say it's good to be back. That there was more than a huge black hole where my life used to be."

MajorCarter nodded. "Okay. Maybe we can kick-start some of your memories. What do you want to know?"


End file.
